Standard Lemma guide

ungrateful

adj · noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ʌnˈɡɹeɪtfəl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N G R EY1 T F AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Not grateful; not expressing gratitude.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: unappreciative, unthankful

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unappreciative, unthankful

Antonyms: grateful

2

adj

Meaning 2

Disagreeable, repellent, unpleasant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A person who fails to show gratitude; an ingrate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

not feeling or showing gratitude- Shakespeare

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • ungrateful heirs
  • How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is / To have a thankless child!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: thankless, unthankful

Antonyms: grateful

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

disagreeable- Abraham Lincoln

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I will not perform the ungrateful task of comparing cases of failure

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From un- + grateful.

Across languages

Translations

62 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ապերախտ (aperaxt) — not grateful
  • Azerbaijani: naşükür — not grateful
  • Azerbaijani: nankor — not grateful
  • Azerbaijani: yaxşılıq bilməyən — not grateful
  • Azerbaijani: dəyərbilməz — not grateful
  • Azerbaijani: qədirbilməz — not grateful
  • Azerbaijani: niblaqadarnı — not grateful
  • Belarusian: няўдзя́чны (njawdzjáčny) — not grateful
  • Bulgarian: неблагода́рен (neblagodáren) — not grateful
  • Catalan: malagraït — not grateful
  • Catalan: desagraït — not grateful
  • Catalan: ingrat — not grateful
  • Chinese Mandarin: 忘恩負義 /忘恩负义 (wàng'ēnfùyì) — not grateful
  • Czech: nevděčný — not grateful
  • Danish: utaknemmelig — not grateful
  • Danish: utaknemlig — not grateful
  • Dutch: ondankbaar — not grateful
  • Estonian: tänamatu — not grateful
  • Faroese: ótakksamur — not grateful
  • Finnish: epäkiitollinen — not grateful
  • Finnish: kiittämätön — not grateful
  • French: ingrat — not grateful
  • Georgian: უმადური (umaduri) — not grateful
  • German: undankbar — not grateful
  • Gothic: 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌽𐌰𐍅𐌰𐍂𐌲𐍃 (launawargs) — not grateful
  • Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐍆𐌰𐌲𐍂𐍃 (unfagrs) — not grateful
  • Greek: αχάριστος (acháristos) — not grateful
  • Greek: αγνώμων (agnómon) — not grateful
  • Ancient Greek: ἀχάριστος (akháristos) — not grateful
  • Hebrew: כְּפוּי טוֹבָה (kfuy tová) — not grateful
  • Hindi: अकृतज्ञ (akŕtajña) — not grateful
  • Hindi: कृतघ्न (kŕtaghna) — not grateful
  • Hungarian: hálátlan — not grateful
  • Indonesian: tak berterimakasih — not grateful
  • Indonesian: tidak tahu berterima kasih — not grateful
  • Irish: neamhbhuíoch — not grateful
  • Italian: ingrato — not grateful
  • Italian: irriconoscente — not grateful
  • Korean: 배은망덕 (baeeunmangdeok) — not grateful
  • Latin: ingrātus — not grateful
  • Latvian: nepateicīgs — not grateful
  • Macedonian: неблагодарен (neblagodaren) — not grateful
  • Norwegian: utakknemlig — not grateful
  • Polish: niewdzięczny — not grateful
  • Portuguese: ingrato — not grateful
  • Portuguese: mal-agradecido — not grateful
  • Russian: неблагода́рный (neblagodárnyj) — not grateful
  • Sanskrit: अकृतज्ञ (akṛtajña) — not grateful
  • Slovak: nevďačný — not grateful
  • Spanish: desagradecido — not grateful
  • Spanish: ingrato — not grateful
  • Spanish: malagradecido — not grateful
  • Swedish: otacksam — not grateful
  • Tagalog: busong — not grateful
  • Tagalog: burisingkaw — not grateful
  • Telugu: కృతఘ్నము (kr̥taghnamu) — not grateful
  • Thai: ทรพี (tɔɔ-rá-pii) — not grateful
  • Thai: อกตัญญู (à-gà-dtan-yuu) — not grateful
  • Tocharian B: akritātñe — not grateful
  • Turkish: nankör — not grateful
  • Ukrainian: невдя́чний (nevdjáčnyj) — not grateful
  • Yiddish: אָן דאַנק — not grateful
Real reading context

ungrateful in complete knowledge articles